42" Pompeii in Kentucky

[ckdickerson]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

Thanks Dave, the dome is far from perfect but I appreciate the complement. And hey, it's done and I can move on to the next faze.

[eprante]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

CK,
Your dome looks great. Those top few courses can get tricky. For me I was so close that I was just happy to close the thing. You are right, nobody will stick their head in there. Congratulations.
Eric

[ckdickerson]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

Thanks Eric, I am happy to be ready to move on. I don't think my hands could handle much more mortar.

[Eric Pfeifer]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

Thanks for the complement Eric. How is progress on your oven, from your pictures it looks like a very ambitious project to say the least.

I layed the keystone Tues, and plan on a first curing fire next Friday. The chimney is in, and now it's time to see how this thing behaves, cracks, etc., before I wrap it in insulation and do all the other stuff to bring it up to indoor code, and then I'll work on the artsy finish work inside.

I am impressed how fast you built a high quality dome!

[ckdickerson]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

Eric, I,ve been following your thread and am anxious to see how your oven reacts. I know that first fire will be exciting for you and congratulations on laying the key stone. That final tap on that stone is a major feeling of accomplishment.

As for how fast I built the dome. I tend to let things consume my life for a period of time which is not a good thing. I've been averaging 12-14 hours a day on the oven. I think it's time to slow down a bit.

[ckdickerson]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

After spending some time inside the dome today with a 2" surface grinder, not a place for someone who is clostrophobic I might add, I am much happier with the inside of the dome. Most of the brick cleaned up very easily. I also attached a picture of the not so pretty transition to the vent from the inside of the dome. I could take some mortar and dress that section up a little. I could have hid that from you but I'm trying to be honest here. And a point of advice....If your going to get inside a brick oven with a grinder wear safety glasses and a respirator.

[ckdickerson]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

Thought I would post a couple of pics of the thermocouple in action. I plugged in the thermocouple and laid a heat light over the brick that it is in and the temperature rose from 68 to 74 degrees in a minute or so. I built the thermocouples from wire that I purchased online and bought an inexpensive multimeter to read them. Total cost was $70 or so and I have four thermocouples with 6ft leads. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to place the other three? I have one embedded in a floor brick about a 1/4 of an inch from the cooking surface.

[ckdickerson]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

I finally took time today to stop and clean up my mess. I pressure washed the brick on the stand and the stain where water splashed on the wet mortar did come off. I was relieved. I'll try to post some more pictures soon.

[meco211]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

looks pretty good, think you are almost done

[eprante]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

CK,
Very nice work on the transitions to your inner arch and the arch to chimney.You are being way too hard on yourself. Everybody struggles with that part, I think you handled it very cleanly( but then I am an amatuer) It looks like it will draw very well. I think you may have surpassed Raffy for the quickest build. These ovens do become an obsession when you are in the process( my wife refers to ours as the mistress, it is the only mistress I am allowed). On to the curing. I used a halogen lamp for about a week, then progressed to using a natural gas burner so I could control the temps and run for hours to slowly drive the water out of the mortar.
Here is a link:Amazon.com: Multi-Jet Natural Gas Burner Small: Kitchen & Dining Good luck.

Eric

[ckdickerson]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

Eric,
I haven't even done any research on the curing process yet. I will order the lumber tomorrow to start the addition to my garage that will cover the oven. It is 12' x 36' and will be extra storage to get my lawn mower, four wheeler, tractor, ect. out of the garage. I'm sure it will take a couple of weeks and give my oven time to cure on it's own for a while before I begin the fire curing process. After I get the addition under roof I will look into what is involved in curing. The burner in the link you attached looks like a relatively inexpensive option to start with and I would think with gas it will be much easier to maintain a constant temperature.

[ckdickerson]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

I put the roof on the addition this afternoon. I'll try to post some more pictures tomorrow.

[calipizzanapoletana]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

Your oven is looking great CK!
I'm new to the site and the endeavor but am already driving my fiancee crazy over researching the skills and practices needed. Its her fault for coming up with the idea in the first place! Your latest oven interior shot shows some very impressive brick laying. Are you going to band the dome with CF sheets and encase it or leave it thinner? Also, how hard was it to get approval for the build from the local building inspector?
Looking forward to further posts!
-Si

[ckdickerson]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

Moving right along. This is after the garage addition is under roof and the metal framing around the oven and grill is almost complete. I started installing the concrete board this afternoon but didn't take any pictures yet.

[WoodchuckDad]

Re: 42" Pompeii in Kentucky

I have Vent envy